Charles
by LSgrimm91
Summary: He introduced himself to her as 'Charles'. Continuum.  Ultimately SJ. Sam Comfort. S/J established.


_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from my DVD's. Wish I did, but I don't. Sad face.  
__Summary: Continuum, nine months into the year on earth. ultimately Sam/Jack. Sam finds a brief moment of comfort in a young man who introduced himself simply as 'charles'. SJ established. Not Sam/other. More Sam comfort. _

SG1

**Charles**

"Damn." She knelt down to retrieve some of the books splayed across the floor. Astrophysics, aeronautics, advanced mathematics; the perfect subjects for the development of her own library.

She reached for the book furthest from her. First came a pair of patent leather shoes, then two knees, followed by a hand that placed a smaller stack of books on the floor, a service dress jacket came to rest on his knee.

"Let me help you there ma'am." A pair of slender hands began reaching out for the books that lay between them. Sam followed the trail his pressed shirt made up to his shoulders before fixing her gaze on his face.

He was certainly young. His hair fluffy, though brushed neatly back and his eyes a flaring green. His uniform did little to disguise the athletic figure hidden within.

"Thank you." she smiled politely.

He quickly gathered her books and added them to his own. They stood and she found herself looking up at the young lieutenant. He smiled at her then. More than politely.

He turned his warm gaze to the pile of books hooked in his arm, probably wrinkling the jacket seeking refuge in his elbow.

"Some heavy reading you got there." He separated the pile into two. She found his taste in books were very similar to her own.

"Writing them is a lot harder." She mused.

"Really?" he gave her a raise of his eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude. My name is Charles."

He held out a hand to her.

"Samantha." She returned. She took his hand with a confidence he duly returned.

"Nice to meet you Samantha." Her hand lingered in his for longer than it ought. "Are you a student at the academy? Aeronautical engineering isn't what I see young men reading for fun."

"Oh, yes." He was dazed. "But I always found the actual science more interesting."

She began making her way to the doors, unable to ignore her delight that he followed her.

"So you're familiar with all this stuff?" he asked, his elbow brushing lightly with hers as they made their way down the busy pathway. Her apartment was this way, but she knew not where _they_ were going.

"I guess you could say that. It was my field whilst I was in the air force. That was so long ago." She chuckled pensively. They walked further in a comfort she hadn't felt in nine months. She realised she had stopped outside her apartment.

"Oh, um." She looked to his Jacket, still snuggled into his elbow. "At least, come up and let me run an iron over that." She nudged his elbow with hers. He looked to the object of her attention, up at the four story apartment block and then to her.

SG1

He had ironed the jacket himself. Though she had years of experience in the correct method of wearing the horrendous article herself, the young man had insisted he was perfectly capable, so she ended up in the floor of her living room, assimilating her latest purchases into her ever growing bookshelf.

Eventually, they ended up on opposite ends of her over-stuffed couch, her with a glass of her wine in her hand, him, a bottle of Guinness.

"So what do your parents think of you being in the Air Force?" she sipped the cool liquid. He leant back into the sofa.

"Well, my dad is military, but my mom definitely didn't like it. My dad thought it was fine, but he figured I was a bit whacked for not wanting to actually fly like he did." Her eyes narrowed curiously. He continued. "I like to keep my feet on the ground. Besides, it helps keep the peace with mom and dad since their divorce."

"Oh?" she felt she had little right to inquire.

"Um, yeah. About a year ago. Maybe thirteen months. She couldn't take him being away so often, he couldn't stay away. I don't think she could handle me becoming exactly like him though. Off saving the world and all that stuff." He tried to smile with shrug off one shoulder. He slid across the couch towards her, maintaining a polite distance of course.

"Tell me Samantha, how many people come up to you and tell you that you look like that famous astronaut?"

"You only the second to actually ask that. Most people just give me odd looks." He tilted his head inquisitively, asking her to continue. "I'm not though. I was never an astronaut." She let her head fall sideways into the sofa.

A look of realisation washed across his face.

"Samantha, are you married?" he looked at her intently.

She sighed.

"I was. But, about nine months ago, my world changed and I'm still trying to work out what my life will be like without him. I still don't know. I just know it's so hard."

"You miss him a lot."

She nodded and brushed away a stray tear.

"I miss him a lot."

"Tell me about him." He turned sideways to face her more fully.

"We worked together for a long time. He was in the air force too. Our job was dangerous, I guess you could say, and for a long time, we couldn't be together. And then he was promoted out. We lived far away from one another, but we took a chance. What time we had together, I let him change my life." She sniffed and smiled. "He had a great sense of humour. He was a bit of a hero, but he never thought so. I was very lucky we had that short time together."

"He was luckier. He had you."

She appreciated his lack of subtly. Comparatively, Jack is much better at subtle compliments. Correction, he _was_.

"How long where you married?"

"A couple of days. I went away, for a job, for a year. The day I came back we just went out and got married. Nothing flashy. I don't regret being away..." she trailed off.

"I'm sorry Sam." He genuinely did. "Hey, come here." He placed his bottle of beer on the coffee table and summoned her into his embrace.

She felt a wave of security she hadn't felt since she last was held in Jack's arms. It haunted her and offered warm relief. She did not cry in the young man's arms. She didn't want to. She wasn't ready to grieve the loss of her husband in her life.

She pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just got caught up in myself." She began.

"Hey, Sam, it's okay. It's okay to be sad. You don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt. It will. But I'm sure he would want you to be happy."

She smiled. "You should probably get going. I'd hate to keep you from your studies." She stood up and walked away.

He followed her. For the second time today.

He gathered his textbooks and followed her to her door. She held out his Jacket to him. He placed his books on the table by her door and shrugged the Jacket on.

She stiffened when his nametag flashed at her.

O'Neill.

Option A: tell him everything and freak him out. She chose option B.

"You know Charles, I think you dad would be proud of you. Whether you fly or not. I know he would be." she shook the young airmen's hand.

"You're a very special lady Samantha. I'm sorry I didn't meet you sooner." He led her gaze for a second, searching her face as if he had met her before.

"I'm glad to have met you too Charlie." She smiled back politely.

He left. She smiled and knew that if they ever fixed the timeline; her only sadness would be that she would forget this day. She would never be able to tell her Jack that his son would be like him.

SG1

**Review! Comment, opinion, criticism. I take them all and will give them a loving home. **


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